US Domestic News Roundup: Biden heads to Texas to survey damage from paralyzing storm; Ohio sues US Census Bureau and more

Biden heads to Texas to survey damage from paralyzing winter storm President Joe Biden will visit Texas on Friday as the state works to recover from a devastating winter storm that caused serious damage to homes and businesses, left millions without power or clean water for days, and killed at least two dozen.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden heads to Texas to survey damage from paralyzing winter storm

President Joe Biden will visit Texas on Friday as the state works to recover from a devastating winter storm that caused serious damage to homes and businesses, left millions without power or clean water for days, and killed at least two dozen. Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, will travel to Houston, where he will meet with officials, including Republican Governor Greg Abbott, to discuss the recovery from last week's storm. He will also visit a COVID-19 health center where vaccines are being distributed.

Ohio sues U.S. Census Bureau over delay in population data

Ohio sued the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday in federal court in an attempt to compel the bureau to release population data relevant to the state's upcoming congressional redistricting process. "The federal government has chosen to drag its feet by delaying the release of census data instead of following the law," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement.

Federal judge in Texas strikes down U.S. COVID-19 eviction moratorium

A federal judge in Texas on Thursday ruled unconstitutional a national moratorium the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has instituted for most residential evictions to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Siding with a group of landlords and property owners challenging the evictions freeze, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker in Tyler, Texas, ruled the CDC exceeded its authority under the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. court to reconsider California ban on high-capacity magazines

A U.S. appeals court said on Thursday it will reconsider its decision that California's ban on high-capacity magazines violates the right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a decision made last August by a divided three-judge panel, which sided with opponents of the ban on magazines with more than 10 rounds of ammunition. An 11-judge panel will now consider the case.

U.S. House on verge of approving Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will aim to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill on Friday in what would be the first major legislative victory of his presidency. A spirited and potentially long debate was expected, as most Republicans oppose the cost of the bill that would pay for vaccines and other medical supplies to battle a COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.

Mr. Potato Head drops 'Mr.' from brand name

Hasbro Inc said on Thursday it was renaming its popular Mr. Potato Head brand to drop the 'Mr.', giving the "Potato Head" line a less gender-focused identity. The toy, first launched over seventy years ago, can be decorated with various plastic parts that can be attached to a plastic spud. Hasbro this fall will launch a "Create Your Potato Head Family" kit, which it called "a celebration of the many faces of families".

Biden's aid bill wildly popular with Americans -- except Republicans in Congress

The White House is losing hope that congressional Republicans will back U.S. President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill despite a campaign-style push that has won support from business leaders, local government officials, unions and voters. The administration has heavily promoted the "American Rescue Plan" as crucial to getting millions of unemployed back to work and children back into schools. The House of Representatives will vote on it as soon as Friday.

New York officials downplay concern over new coronavirus variant

Mayor Bill de Blasio's chief medical adviser on Thursday downplayed the results of two studies suggesting that a new coronavirus variant found in New York City in November will be more resistant to vaccines now being administered. Dr. Jay Varma said it was premature to infer from laboratory results how effective the vaccines would be on the variant, echoing concerns of other scientists who questioned why preliminary studies are given to the media ahead of academics.

Trump's hold on Republican Party on display as conservatives gather

Donald Trump's hold on the Republican Party will be on full display as an annual gathering of prominent U.S. conservatives starts in earnest on Friday, with a key question being whether the former president will run again in four years. Prominent congressional conservatives including Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley, and Representatives Steve Scalise and Matt Gaetz are among the Trump loyalists expected to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, which Trump will address on Sunday.

New York prosecutors digging into Trump's tax, financial records

After a lengthy court battle, the Manhattan District Attorney is in possession of Donald Trump's tax returns and other financial records as part of a criminal investigation into the former president and his family-run Trump Organization, a spokesman for the office confirmed on Thursday. The New York prosecutor's office obtained the voluminous records on Monday, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump's latest attempt to keep his longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, from turning over the records.